Chapter 20

‘Could it be that I was lucky to have the protagonist approach during the conversation.’

There was no way around it—I had to get closer to the protagonist. After all, the game progresses for the protagonist’s sake.

Without being by the protagonist’s side, it would be nearly impossible to see the True Ending, which was supposedly the condition for leaving this world.

The rule was to get closer to the protagonist without being romanced.

Right after speaking, an awkward situation was created by the bell ringing slightly, but I did manage to secure an opportunity to return to the hallway with the protagonist.

This was luck indeed.

In that sense, the queen I had found was someone I should keep my distance from regardless, even if I disregarded the fact she tried to torment me.

Just thinking about the message that popped up when I found her, one could say it was absolutely certain.

[A queen has been found. You may immediately begin the queen’s elimination. Would you like to start the S-Battle? Merely undressing will prompt the other party to immediately comply.]

The essence of getting closer to the protagonist was avoiding being romanced. Yet, the battle required to defeat the queen turned out to be an inappropriate act with her, just as I had feared.

While warning me not to be romanced, the system was forcing me into lewd activities, leading me to just stare at the system window in disgust.

Even though it knew my thoughts, the system window did not respond to my gaze but instead informed me of the consequences of my choice.

[Refusing the battle will cancel the favorability increase. Furthermore, by refusing the battle and disrupting the school queen elimination scenario, your chances of encountering a bad ending will drastically increase.]

If this were a battle using fists, I might have attempted it to avoid a bad ending, but since it involved lewd acts, I refused out of sheer contempt.

Either way, if it ended in a bad ending, I’d rather not do anything with a woman I didn’t like.

Besides, how do women do such things together…

I had never bothered to research how women engaged in such acts because I had no particular interest, so suddenly being asked to do it evoked an unavoidable sense of rejection.

“It’s been a while since we’ve walked down the hallway together, hasn’t it?”

Maybe because walking along the hallway was getting boring, the boy initiated a conversation.

Had it really been a while…

I pondered whether to say I couldn’t remember or to pretend I did while walking slowly beside the boy.

Despite the -100 favorability towards him showing no outward signs, I did feel an impulse to kick or hit the boy impulsively, though not as intensely as the first time we met.

That’s definitely due to my own willpower, regardless of the favorability. My determination to weave my way through the protagonist’s storylines to escape this romantic visual novel was unmistakable.

“Did the bell ring? Do we have to run?”

“I’m often absent even during class, so it’s fine with me. You’ve already missed three days, so it’s fine for you too. If you want to run, just go ahead on your own.”

Hearing this slightly teasing remark, I didn’t feel the need to dash down the hallway.

Although it might be better to keep studying given the possibility of staying in this world, if forced to choose between studying and finding a way out, the latter would naturally come first.

It’s just that I dislike hearing this from him. Sensing the rising impulse in my body, the boy ceased the nonsense and started a serious conversation.

“…First, let me warn you. Don’t meet the queen alone. Everything about her, including her name ‘Seo Yu-ri,’ is likely false. Therefore, except for the individuals you already know, never meet anyone alone—anyone could be the queen in disguise.”

My information display tells me who each person is, so it doesn’t matter.

I also know that her real name isn’t Seo Yu-ri but Kang Yu-ri.

Since there was no need to reveal unnecessary information to the protagonist about myself, I replied with other words to indicate that he need not concern himself with me.

“The queen’s torment doesn’t bother me, so I’m fine.”

The boy looked at me with the eyes of someone who saw me as a child.

Being physically smaller, and the boy being taller, his gaze was particularly annoying.

“Seo Yu-ri is called the queen because the more people revere her, the stronger her supernatural abilities become. After we once weakened her, she avoided gathering followers and subjects for a while, but if she now grows unchecked and strengthens her influence beyond what we previously knew, she might alter the reality we live in and make her desired reality the truth. To summarize with a game analogy, leaving her alone is a direct route to a bad ending.”

“…What? Isn’t that some kind of cheat ability?”

So this was the reason the system had been warning me about the queen all this time. It’s definitely looking like not defeating her will lead to a bad ending.

‘I should’ve told me this sooner.’

Even without going along with their inappropriate demands, I could’ve still beaten her up with this body’s supernatural ability. It seemed incredibly powerful in terms of protection, although the issue was my lack of control over it.

While feeling a deep sense of regret, I listened as the boy continued explaining.

“Of course, that’s assuming we ignore her for now. Currently, she’s not that powerful. No matter how strong she gets with her loyal subjects, she won’t be able to overcome your friend. It’s an ability matchup. Also, while in theory, she can manipulate most people within her range, in practice, it’s very hard for her to achieve full omnipotence since she needs those people to believe her willingly.”

Your friend?

I’m not sure exactly who he’s referring to, but it’s most likely either Inna or the student council president.

Given the limited number of people around, it wasn’t hard to narrow down the suspects.

…Should I be glad about this?

“Sounds like a cult leader. The only difference from an actual cult leader is that she has the power to manifest her words.”

As I unintentionally voiced my thoughts about her, multiple system windows appeared in front of me.

[The heroine’s sharp intuition pierces through the future. The school queen has realized her own limitations. A bird hatched from the egg must fly in the vast sky. From now on, the school queen will begin cultivating her power beyond just the confines of the school.]

[The religion she will create in future will be a religion where she becomes a deity and establishes a nation. A country where everything her followers wish to erase will become false. If the number of her followers exceeds a million, regardless of your current ability awakening rate or True Ending accessibility rate, you will inevitably enter a bad ending. Currently, your ability awakening rate is 0.2. If the number of her followers exceeds two thousand, her power will start to affect you, so please beware.]

[Her heart is like a seed that has just begun to sprout. If you wish to prevent both a world-wide bad ending and a personal one, proceed with the S-Battle with her. However, the later it’s done, the higher the probability that the S-Battle will fail to extinguish her obsession. In fact, by then, it might even increase.]

[This is the first villain you’ve met in this world. Special note: Despite having no influence on your favorability, we will disclose how this opponent plans to seduce you, just this once.]

[The opponent’s tendency is that of a queen and a sadist. She experiences pleasure whenever the act’s subject shows submissive behavior or negative actions like crying. While these submissive actions may bring her joy, it stems more from the humiliation she sees in the subject’s expressions than actual pleasure from the act itself.]

[The primary method of seduction is using commoners to lower your guard before trapping you inescapably. Her tactics may change as she gains understanding of you. A secondary tactic includes taking hostages, so be cautious.]

[The best defense is to regard all things in this world with skepticism, avoiding any positive emotions like goodwill or friendship. As her deceitful abilities can affect even supernaturals due to believers, and your protection could be overcome with enough believers, always remain vigilant if you’re noticed by her.]

Why so detailed? More details were given to me about this queen than about when meeting the protagonist or the first heroine, revealing a potential greater threat.

The danger posed by the woman referred to as the school queen was much greater than I had imagined. If something went wrong, we weren’t just risking a bad ending for one heroine but the entire world potentially plunging into one. As we arrived at the classroom, this possibility weighed on our steps.

Even though she is dangerous, there’s nothing I can do immediately. I don’t even know where she disappeared to. I’ll need to wait until she builds up her influence enough for me to find her.

Very game-like.

In a game, you’d squash the problem seed early.

‘I suppose I should strengthen her first.’

I have only one supernatural ability.

The system warned me it could be breached if she utilized the power of millions, which obviously made sense.

Therefore, the ability needs to be strengthened so it can only be breached if she gathers tens of millions. But I have no idea how to strengthen it.

Typically, one would repetitively use the ability, but I don’t even know how mine works, making that impossible.

Although the awakening rate increased slightly before, I had no idea how to trigger it again.

That’s when it happened.

[The hero’s radiance reacts with your protection. Awakening rate increases by 0.2. Current awakening rate 0.4.]

The system flashes an odd message as if in response to my thoughts.

The hero’s radiance?

Turning back toward the protagonist, I noticed a slightly surprised expression on the boy’s face.

What is he surprised about? Looking where he is gazing, only the door leading into the classroom existed.

Could he have been startled by the sounds inside? As someone still unfamiliar with life here, the sound of class doesn’t tell me much.

But the term “the hero’s radiance” caught my attention. With both the suspicious Inna who shows me favor yet has questionable traits, and the system repeatedly warning me about the villainous Kang Yu-ri, if either of them intended something, strengthening my supernatural powers was a necessity. To do that, it had to be related to this so-called “radiance” of the hero.

‘To become stronger, I have to stay close to the protagonist…’

I don’t know exactly what this “radiance” is, but the gist of this romantic visual novel’s story became clear. How the protagonist draws in heroines was also somewhat clear.

A heroine, nearly like an enemy, stays close to the protagonist to grow stronger.

I simultaneously realized the easiest storyline ahead of me was likely this.

“Shouldn’t we go in?”

“Yeah, you go ahead.”

While blocking the doorway and staring seriously at the door, I questioned him, and he promptly moved aside.

“Hmm?”

“I’d rather get scolded by the teacher later. I’ll enter during the break. Next time, we meet, just don’t be so tense around me. Despite everything that’s happened, we share secrets, right?”

Expecting him to block the teacher’s wrath for me, like a tank character, but instead, he carefully avoided it and waved goodbye to me while moving away from our classroom.

…So, what secret do we share again?

You should’ve told me first, you son of a g*n!

Still glaring at the boy who had disappeared down the hallway, I hesitated briefly before stepping in the opposite direction of where the protagonist had gone.